LAHORE - The Lahore High Court yesterday stayed auction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and sought replies from Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and ministry of petroleum.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan of the LHC passed the order on a petition moved by a LPG marketing company.  The Judge directed the Petroleum ministry’s secretary to conduct inquiry into the alleged irregularities and sought reply within 20 days.

Pakistan Petroleum Limited was going to hold auction of approximately 400 MT LPG on February 2 allegedly in violation of rules and policy, said the petitioner.

The private company through its counsel Barrister Sardar Qasim submitted that PPL was going to auction LPG in violation of LPG policy. It said that PPL had been auctioning it beyond the fixed price of the government which was illegal and unlawful. 

The counsel alleged that the auction on higher price would badly affect the consumers and it was move the gas producers to make a lot of money. He said the Ogra had failed to control the situation. He prayed the court to stay the auction and direct the authorities concerned to explain the reason.

BAN ON NGOs

The LHC disposed of petitions of two non-governmental organizations after the government informed the court that the impugned orders against the said organizations had been withdrawn.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had already suspended the impugned orders of the governments and allowed the NGOs. The government departments had alleged that the NGOs were involved in anti-state activities.

South Asia Partnership of Pakistan (SAP-PK) and WISE had filed the petitions stating that the government had restrained them from functioning in the country.